Love Lost, Love Won, and Strange Drinks
by LadySilvermist
Summary: After messing up her potion in class, hermione flees, crying from snapes scathing words. when draco follows her, a spark they share erupts into a flame, as severus cries from the shadows. M for sex. Now Complete! OH MY GAWD THE VIEWS ARE NOW OVER 9000!
1. Guilty Feelings and Stray Hairs

Such a dour man as the one before her she had never seen in all her life, nor had she ever been so intrigued. Everything about him, from his admittedly greasy hair to his black boots fascinated her, especially in how it would have looked quite dreadful on anyone else, whilst he managed it quite well.

_Oh, can you even hear yourself, _she thought reproachfully. _Mooning over a professor who's almost twice your age, a Slytherin, and hates you besides! Have you lost your mind, you silly little twit-_

"Miss Granger?" Professor Snapes drawling voice cut through her thoughts like a heated knife through butter. She started guiltily, as though he could hear her musings.

"I'm sorry Professor, could you repeat the question?" Hermione said, blushing as the class began to giggle.

"If you'd been paying attention, Miss Granger, you would know I had asked no question. I simply wished to pull from your daydreams to tell you that you SHALL pay attention in my class, regardless of the fact that you probably already know this lesson and have in fact done the full months homework." Snape glared at Hermione from the front of the class. "Ten points from Gryffindor, for your inability to stop being a know-it-all and to pay attention."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it. Doing so would only lose Gryffindor more points, and end with her crying on her bed from his scornful words. She hung her head and sighed. "Yes, Professor," she murmured quietly, , simply hoping she wouldn't have to hear more names pour from his lips to hurt her.

Snape turned back to the board, writing instructions for the Skele-Grow potion. He scowled to himself, berating himself and her in his mind. _Insufferable know-it-all! _He thought, attempting to squash the guilt he felt at the look of hurt on her face.

_You didn't have to be so hard on her, _a voice in the back of his head chastised. _A simple "_Please pay attention" _would have sufficed. _His scowl deepened. Why should he care if he hurt her feelings? She was only a student like any other! _So why, _the voice asked, _do you feel so guilty?_

Snapes face grew darker. He didn't know why he felt guilty. But ever since the day he'd caused her to cry after Mr. Malfoy had caused her teeth to grow, he'd felt…slimy inside. Every time he looked at her he felt worthless…like the day he'd called Lilly a-

_ STOP! I WONT THINK OF THAT! SHE IS A STUDENT LIKE ANY OTHER! THERE'S NO REASON TO FEEL GUILTY! _Snape let out a near silent sigh. He was going to end up tearing himself apart inside if he wasn't careful. He turned and began walking the room. Hermione stirred her potion, feeling the steam cause her hair to frizz outward.

_Please, _she thought. _Let me get this potion perfect and earn back some of the points I lost! _ She suddenly felt as though someone was watching her. She looked up and saw Draco Malfoy staring at her from across the room. She groaned inwardly as he smirked at her when he caught her staring back. She just knew he was planning something dastardly. "Just my luck," she thought, "He is going to add injury to insult. Beautiful."

Draco's stomach was filled with butterflies as Hermione turned her head back over her cauldron of Skele-grow. "She's a mudblood!" Chastised a voice in the back of his head, a voice that imitated his father's voice perfectly. "You'll bring shame on the whole family"

"I know, but she is so beautiful, can't I make myself happy just once?"

"NO! You will have respect for the family! WE ARE PUREBLOOD! WE ARE.."

"I KNOW WHAT WE ARE! WE ARE ANYTHING BUT PURE! WE, WE ARE FOUL, LOATHSOME AND HEATEFUL! I WILL BE HAPPY, I WILL HAVE HERMONE!"

The voice imitating his father fell silent at that, and the internal battle ceased. Draco suddenly noticed the boy was trembling from the anger kicked up by his battle with himself. He took a deep breath to calm himself and made a vow to himself that after class he would apologize to Hermione for everything he had do to her, and begin the process of gaining her trust and winning her heart.

Snape watched as Draco's trembling grew, crested and ceased. His brow furrowed. What could have the boy so upset? He shrugged it off and continued walking. He told himself, ignore them. As he walked past Hermione's caldron he saw her potion was nearly complete. She reached to grasp and add the final ingredient, and a single hair fell from her head into the cauldron. The potion turned indigo, then rapidly shifted and faded to a light shade of lilac. A fragrant steam arose from the caldron, smelling vaguely of white roses. Hermione stood perfectly still for a moment, the turned to glance fearfully up at the professor.

Snape reacted before he could stop himself. "Miss Granger," he sneered, "This is not the potion I asked you to make. I will study it later. For now, however, you get a 'T' for your grade. It's fitting."

Hermione's eyes filled with shimmering tears. T…for Troll? THAT'S what the man she loved thought of her? She quietly gathered her things and left. Her tears spilled over as she reached the hall outside the dungeons. She leaned against the wall and sank to the ground, her books, quills, and other items spilling out of her bag to scatter at her feet as she wept. Every day, she tried. She worked and studied and was the best she could manage, for a muggleborn. She had tried so hard…and now she had a T on her grade for the day and, even worse, she was cutting class to avoid more emotional upset. She wept harder as she confronted the fact that Snape, the man she thought so highly of, thought her both a moronic, insufferable child and a know it all. She curled around herself and squalled silently into her hair.

[***]

Back in the classroom, Draco was anxiously glancing at his pocket watch between sending searing glares at Snape. He desperately wanted to leap up from his desk and follow Hermione, but couldn't afford detention. If he could have, he would have propelled himself across the desktop, beat Snape into a ruddy pulp, and gone after Hermione to dry the tears he had seen shimmering in her beautiful amber eyes. _Come on, _he urged the ticking clock hands silently, _hurry up! _The bell rang after what felt like hours and Snape dismissed the class, his voice droning as usual. Draco grabbed his things and hit the hall at a run, his eyes scanning for Hermione. He found her still slumped against the wall, tears streaming down her face, her chestnut hair snarled and bushy. All Draco's carefully laid plans flew out of his mind.

"Oh, Hermione," he whispered. Her eyes flew open and she stared up at him.

"What do you want?" her voice was small, sad, and very tired. "If you're going to hex me, just get it over with."

"Hermione…" he fell to his knees beside her and wrapped his arms around her protectively, holding her close. She stared at him, shocked and scared. "I am not going to hex you, Hermione, please don't cry anymore!" he held her even tighter. "Snape is a bloody asshole!"

Hermione began to cry again. She was so very confused. The man she held in her heart hated her, while the boy she had long considered an enemy attempted to comfort her. Her eyes slid shut as fresh tears began coursing down her face.

Draco felt Hermione begin to tremble as the fresh sobs racked her form. He pulled her closer to himself, stroking her hair and making senseless hushing noises. He was surprised, the whole display was entirely unlike him.

Hermione felt as though she should run, hide, and get as far away from there as possible. Instead, she turned her head and buried her face in Draco's shirt. She concentrated on steadying her breathing, on stopping the tears. Little by little, she relaxed. Then, without warning, Draco let go. Her eyes flew open, and she lifted her head from his chest, meaning top ask why.

Draco waited for Hermione's upturned eyes to lock on his, and then he lowered his face to hers and kissed her, softly and sweetly. Hermione gasped in surprise, and Draco used that as an opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth to play across her teeth.

Hermione's eyes widened and she grew tense. A hundred thousand thoughts raced through her mind as she felt Draco's tongue run across hers. Little by little she relaxed as Draco's mouth moved against hers, filling her with warmth an happiness. She smiled as his hand wrapped into her hair.

Draco felt as though he was flying, his heart galloping like a wild thestral. Every point where their skin met was a point of light, and the only thing that mattered in the world at that moment was that Hermione was kissing him back. Unbeknownst to either of the teens, their entire exchange had been seen by Severus Snape, The Bat of the Dungeons. He had begun to cry.


	2. Tears, Sex and Suicide

Snape burst through the door to his chambers, cast a silencing charm, and fell to his knees. Tears fell thick and fast onto his hands, which lay upturned on his lap. His hair formed a curtain before his tortured visage.

"Fucking IDIOT!" he roared, and slammed his fist down onto his thigh, hard enough that it would surely leave a bruise. "Always!" he screamed, the tears pouring like rain. "Always, you drive them away! You alienate them, turn them into the arms of another! And you're such a COWARD, such a bloody IDIOT, you can't even tell them how you really feel! This is EXACTLY what you deserve!" Snape struck himself again and again, his eyes blurred with tears as the blows landed on his chest and thighs. "You old fool…will you ever learn?" he cried even harder, tears slipping down and dripping onto his robes. He trembled and shook like a leaf in a hurricane. "Oh, Hermione," he whispered to the empty room. "I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it!" The room, dark and silent, gave no reply.

[* * *]

Hermione's heart was pounding in her chest. After Draco had kissed her, a dam had broken in both of them. They had made their way to the nearest closet and had locked themselves inside. Draco immediately set about to casting charms, expanding the room, conjuring candles, lighting them, and finally…conjuring a bed. Now, he stood across the room from Hermione, smiling at her. He crossed the room in three long strides and clasped her lovingly around the waist.

He buried his face in her hair, the scent of her lemony shampoo filling his senses. He pressed closer, and groaned softly as her hips gently grazed his swollen, ready manhood.

"Draco…" Hermione whispered. He had to suppress a groan at the sound of his name on her lips.

"Yes?" he replied, voice rough with lust.

"I've…I've never..." Hermione stuttered, blushing a deep scarlet. Draco's eyes shot open as the meaning of her words hit home.

"You're a virgin?" he inquired softly. Hermione nodded. "Well…do you still want to…?" Hermione nodded again. "Hermione," Draco said. "This is going to hurt you. A lot. But if you want to go through with this, I will be as gentle as I possibly can." Draco slid his hand down Hermione's arm and took her hand. He guided her to the bed and laid her down.

Hermione took a deep breath to brace herself as Draco began to remove her clothing and his. She closed her eyes to calm herself as she felt Draco's soft lips press against hers, his tongue probing her lips, which parted and granted him access as the last of their clothing fell away.

Draco groaned and freed his mouth from hers. "Hermione," he panted softly. "Because this is your first time, I want to make you…you know," he said, a crimson stain spreading over his face. "So, before we actually start making love, can I try something?" Hermione nodded once more, fearing she would lose her nerve if she opened her mouth.

Draco smiled and kissed her neck, then her chest. He brushed his lips lightly across her breast, licking at the puckered nipple. Hermione moaned quietly, her soft, sensitive entrance heating up, throbbing and dampening. Draco let go of her nipple and continued exploring her body, his lips brushing gently over her stomach, the taunt skin of her hips. Hermione's eyes widened and she moaned as Draco's lips finally alighted upon her soft mound. She gasped, her hand snaking its way into his hair.

Draco groaned slightly as Hermione tugged his hair. He slowly deepened his kiss, alert to Hermione's every movement in case she should try to push him away. She moaned softly as his skilled tongue began to dip and twirl inside her, lapping at her virgin heat. Her legs trembled and she clenched her fists in his hair as the pleasure began to build and pulse through her.

"Ohhhhhhh…" she moaned softly. Her hips lifted up and were quickly pinned back down onto the bed by Draco, his tongue still dancing inside her much as it had in her mouth. Hermione began to shake as the pleasure quickly built to almost unbearable levels. "Draco," she moaned, her eyes glazing over as he probed her sensitive bud with his tongue. "Oh God Draco, I can't, I can't take much more! I'm going to explode, oh God, Draco, please, I…I…ohhhhhhhhhh!" she cried out, arching her back as sweet release ran through her, sending wave after wave of pleasure through every inch of her form. She moaned and twisted and thrashed as Draco lapped at her essence, stroking her hip as she rode out her orgasm. Soon, she lay still, her eyes glazed and her breathing heavy.

Draco's member was harder than ever, thick and red, throbbing, dripping with precum and aching for Hermione. He crawled atop her, pressing gently against her hot, slick opening. "Hermione," he says, struggling to keep his breathing even. She looked up at him through foggy eyes, her slightly parted lips shimmering. His hips rocked forward slightly, causing them both to moan at the heated contact. "Please…can I…?" Draco almost begged, his head resting against her shoulder.

"Yes," Hermione whispered, and clung to Draco as, with a stifled moan, he eased into her. Her silken heat surrounded him, and he slowly went deeper, until he came to the thin covering deep inside that proved her virginity.

"Hermione," he groaned,"This is going to hurt...are you ready?"

She nodded and Draco pushed forward, tearing open the thin covering and fully entering her. Hermione began to cry as she felt blood drip out from inside her, and Draco held her close, murmuring appologies in her ear. Little by little, the pain faded and, feeling Hermione relax beneath him, he began to thrust slowly. Hermione moaned at the sensation of being filled, of having something so big and hard stretching her tight walls.

As she tighted around him, Draco could feel himself losing it. He thrust harder, faster, deeper. Hermione moaned as he seemed to thrust all the way through her, her whole body alive and electric. She whined and pleaded for more, and he happily obliged. He went painfully fast, and then agonizingly slow. She was filled and then emptied, over and over again. She felt hot, and so very full, and for the second time Hermione was sent screaming over the edge. She moaned and thrashed, her body arching and twisting as she came for the second time. It was too much for Draco, and he spilled into her, crying out her name as she had his.

Exhausted, they simply lay there for a minute, and then Drco carefully eased out. Hermione whined slightly in protest to the sudden emptiness, but relaxed as Draco wrapped his arms around her. He whispered in her ear that he had always loved her, and that he always would. Together, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

[* * *]

In the dark of the dungeons, Snape drank to remember, and he drank to forget. There were empty firewhiskey bottles everywhere, and a half full one stood on his desk, next to a vial with a sample of Hermione's unknown, unlabled potion. He stared intently at the potion before him. A single strand of Hermiones hair had changed it. He regarded it with a cold, clinical detatchment. It was an unknown. It could kill him. He picked it up off the desk and chugged it, throwing the empty vial among the firewhiskey bottles that littered the floor. His stomach churned, his mind went entirely blank, and then...nothing. He blinked. As far back as his memory stretched, there had been an ache, a solid block of emotion in his chest. It was simply gone. Snape began to laugh at the irony of it all. The girl who had driven him to attempt suicide had saved him with the potion he took to die. Snape smiled slightly, a soft, tender smile which seemed so out of place. He still loved her, but...he was going to be ok. For the first time ever, he was ok.


	3. Aftermath and Painless Love

5 Years Later...

Snape and Hermione stood, smiling outside the the Ministry of Magic's Potion Registry office. It had been 5 long and eventful years since the day Hermione had fallen in love with Draco and Snape had thus attempted suicide. Since that day, Snape had appologized, profusely and often. He and Hermione had worked together on many projects since then, the most notable being the one they were patenting today. It had been ready for a while, but they had needed to test it out. Obviously, it was very effective, Snape being the living proof, but they had needed time to study what made it different from the potion it mutated from. They Finally found the key to the change: extract of lemon and a hair from the head of a lovestruck girl. With that known, they had created and tested 3 batches of the potion, and Cor Remedium (Heart Cure) was finally ready. As they stood outside the office, Snape snuck a glance at Hermione. He was still in love with her, and he knew he always would be. But now he could go about it took a swig from his pocket flask, which contained a clear yet firery liquid. He smiled as he swallowed down the white rose scented potion. A painless love. after all, wasnt that what Cor Remedium was for?


End file.
